Link ran through the door which led inside the Goddess Statue, hoping he wasn't seen by anyone as he was in a hurry. He approached the altar and placed the newly acquired tablet in it. He waited for a moment, wondering what would happen next. Shortly after, Fi flew out of his sword.

"Master, I have located a second opening in the cloud barrier. It is located in the northeastern part of the skies. The opening will allow you to access a new area on the surface. I suggest you fly there as soon as you are prepared. But, Master, I suggest you first replenish your fluids and rest."

"Thank you, Fi, I will." Link responded, touched by her caring suggestion.

Link looked over everything in his adventure pouch. He checked the stability of his shield, concluding it was in well enough shape to continue using.

I can't just go ahead and go; especially after what happened with Ghirahim.

Link put a hand to his back upon thinking about the short battle with the demon lord. He observed his many cuts and bruises that had already formed. In reality, the two fought for a fairly short amount of time, only ten minutes at most, but it was enough to completely injure Link to a degree he hadn't been in his life. He had never been so thoroughly wounded by an opponent; except for perhaps once, earlier this year.

"Hey!" Sixteen year old Zelda said cheerfully as she jogged up to Link in the academy. Her hair was pulled back in a headband, revealing all of her face. It was rare that her bangs didn't hang in front of her. She held her books against her chest as she slowed to a walk, smiling at Link.
Link smiled back at his friend, genuinely happy to see her.

"Hey there," he replied.

"Where are you headed?" Zelda asked him. Link knew she had been studying in the classroom for the last few hours. She was always an over achiever.

"I was going to head to the sparring hall and practice a bit. Eagus said he would show me a few of the advanced techniques."

"Well, aren't you the sparring prodigy?" Zelda teased.

Link blushed slightly at the comment. It was true; he did have a gift when it came to swordplay. He progressed far more quickly than anyone in their class, much to Groose's dismay. Eagus often had Link come to spar with him independently and practice just between the two of them. He referred to it is as Link's "independent studies."

"I don't know about that," Link finally answered.

"Well everyone else does! You're the best swordsman in school! Come on, Link. You even beat Eagus last week," Zelda said excitedly. She was so proud of her best friend. Usually, Zelda would've been jealous, as she was constantly determined to be the best; even if it was sword fighting, and even if she was, in fact, a girl. She was very competitive like that. Although she herself was fairly good, she was not as skilled as him. For some reason however, it didn't bother her.

"Oh, he wasn't even really trying, Zel."

"Yes he was! We will discuss it no more. You're amazing, stop being humble," Zelda replied, waving a hand as if to signal the end of the discussion. Link looked over to see her smiling from ear to ear at him.

"Whatever, Little Bird."

"Oh hush. Well, if you're going to spar, I suppose I'll go back to my humble abode. I finally finished studying, which you should do, too, by the way."

"No, thanks, I'll do it later. But don't go back to your room. Why don't you come and watch?" Link asked Zelda, trying to sound casual. He always liked having Zelda around to watch him and cheer him on. She would yell at him from outside the ring, telling him where to go and when to strike. Of course, he would occasionally look over at her, exasperated with her coaching. There were a few times that Eagus even agreed with her, when Link could've blocked a strike had he done what she said. But he did the exact same to her when she would spar, so he got over it. Lately, it humored him.

"Well," Zelda said, pondering the question, "I suppose I could for a little while. I need to fold some socks, but I guess I can put it off long enough to watch."

Link looked at her with his usual "annoyed" expression. Zelda only grinned, as was her usual expression.

"How thoughtful of you," he replied while she laughed.

The two made their way to the sparring hall after stopping by Zelda's room so she could put away her books. Upon arriving at the sparring hall, Link noticed Groose standing at the front of the room, arms folded across his chest and a sour expression on his face.

"So you're here for your little private lesson, are you?" Groose spat at him.

"I'm just here to practice, Groose," Link replied calmly, more annoyed than intimidated.

"I have an idea," Groose said in an all too innocent voice. "How about you and I go at it for a little while? Eagus was just saying I'd improved so much that maybe I should fi— I mean, spar you for a bit."

Link looked at Groose questioningly. Eagus wasn't around, so Link didn't know if the claim was true or not. However, beating Groose yet again in a match wouldn't be too boring.

"Yeah. Yeah, I don't see a problem with that. Go ahead and gear up. I'll go in the back and ask Eagus to ref our match."

Groose looked at Link with a slightly unsettling smile.

"Perfect," he replied before running over to the corner and putting on his sparring gear.

"Link?!" Zelda whispered harshly. "What are you doing? You know he's just going to get mad and want to beat you up!"

"Hey, relax. Nothing is going to happen. Groose is a fair fighter, he won't try anything crazy, Besides, it's been a while since we sparred each other. Maybe he really has improved," Link soothed.

"He's a boy, Link. Boys are prideful. They don't just lose graciously."

"Zel…" Link said in his usual parenting tone, looking down at her under long eyelashes.

Zelda let out a sigh before answering.

"Alright, fine. But don't expect this to end well," she said.

Zelda stepped back, seeing Groose approaching, holding in her nervousness. Link was a talented fighter, but Groose was much bigger and much taller. Not to mention much meaner as well. Watching the two of them fight made her apprehensive.

Eagus came out from the back room of the sparring hall and reluctantly agreed to let the two boys duel.

Link put on his sparring gear and stepped into the ring, standing across from Groose. Eagus began to recite off the rules and regulations, as always. Link felt the excitement course through his veins. Sword fighting invigorated him. He loved the suspense and the constant threat. Something about wielding a sword just felt right to him; it was his purpose, his reason for existing. He was meant to be a warrior.

Zelda stood in behind the ring, watching tentatively.

Before commencing the match, Eagus added one thing.

"Alright, gentlemen, I want a good clean fight. Remember, no punches, kicks, or sword contact of any kind to an unprotected area."
Both the boys nodded in agreement.

Soon, the match started. Link and Groose circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Of course, Groose was never a very patient person. He stepped in, going for Link's front leg. Link evaded the attack effortlessly and threw his leg in the air, kicking Groose back as he did.

Groose stumbled, smiling sinisterly at Link. He waited again. After a short pause, he bent down and clumsily swung for Link's knees. Link jumped into the air, pulling them up to his torso. As he landed, he bent down, taking both of Groose's feet out from under him with a swipe of his sword. Groose quickly pulled himself back onto his feet. He began swinging wildly at Link over and over, aiming anywhere he thought he saw an open spot.

Link blocked Groose's moves as he was slowly pushed to the edge of the ring. From her spot beyond the ring, Zelda yelled at Link repeatedly to block or strike back or kick somewhere. She couldn't understand why he wasn't being aggressive.

It was stated in the rules that fighting must not be taken out of the ring. Link continued backing up until he was officially out, but Groose refused to let up.
"Groose," Link called out, growing concerned by the other boy's wild assault. "You're taking it out of the ring, buddy."

Groose didn't listen. He continued to push Link back further and further, not letting up his assault until he was dangerously close to Zelda.

"Groose, time! Time out!" Eagus yelled, seeing a potential problem. But Groose didn't heed his warnings, now within striking distance of Zelda. One wrong swing and he could seriously hurt her.

Link became frustrated with Groose; his childish attack on him he could deal with, but putting Zelda in danger over a simple sparring session was taking it too far. Now mad, Link began to fight back with vengeance, pushing Groose around as hard as he could. He struck, kicked, and punched in all directions he could without breaking the rules.

"Don't…get…that close…to her…again," Link yelled at him in between strikes. He quickly and decisively took control of the match, pushing Groose back into the ring and disarmed him with a quick swipe.

Groose grunted in displeasure and took off his head gear, appearing to be tired. Eagus watched like a hawk as Link took off his head gear, and his chest padding as well, clearly not as exhausted as Groose was.

Suddenly, Groose looked up at Link with his same sinister smile.

Link did not seem to notice the dark smile, and gave Groose an apologetic look. "Look, Groose, I'm sorry. It's just that you got really close to Zelda and had she not seen you coming, you could've hit her. Thankfully, she was smart enough to move, but usually people don't because you're not even supposed to step out of the ring—"

Link was cut off by Groose's large palms smacking hard against his chest, knocking the breath out of him.
"What was that—"

Groose hit him again, this time harder. Then he hit him again, and again, over and over. Eagus yelled in a frightening voice for Groose to stop, but neither boy listened to him. Groose gripped Link's shirt and swung him around, slinging him into the nearest wall. But Link did not fight back. Link turned around just in time to see Groose's fist smack into his face. Blood started dripping down his nose instantly. But still yet, Link didn't fight back. Groose came near him again despite Zelda's never-ending stream of demands and threats, and kneed Link directly in the stomach.

Link fell to the ground immediately. Zelda screamed Link's name upon the contact. He winced at the pain, clutching his side. Groose pounced for Link once more, landing another punch to his face. Eagus sprinted to Groose, picking him up and throwing him off of Link before he could do any more damage. He began yelling furiously at Groose, dragging him outside. Before he left, he glanced at Zelda, who was too busy staring in worry at Link to notice. Eagus knew Zelda would tend to Link, making sure he was alright.

Zelda rushed to Link, kneeling over him. She rolled him onto his back, placing his head in her lap.

"Link, Link. Hang in there. It's gonna be alright, you're okay," she said in a shaky breath, trying to calm him and slow his breathing.

"You've just had the breath knocked out of you, don't worry, it'll come back. Just breathe normally," she continued, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible, though it was in vain. Link tried to regulate his breathing, letting out yelps of pain in between.

"Shhh, you'll be okay, it'll go away soon."

Zelda brushed the hair out of Link's face and continued to whisper soothing words to him. She used her shirt to clean the blood off of Link's face. He lifted his hand and tried to hold hers to not ruin her shirt, but she persisted. She didn't care that Link's blood was smeared on her palms or all over her shirt, nor did she even really notice. Zelda just continued to stare at Link and whisper to him in a soothing tone. His breathing finally returned to normal while his eyes fluttered shut, letting Zelda continue to stroke her hand through his hair until she could get his nose to stop bleeding.

Link was quiet for a moment, so Zelda finally spoke.

"Link? Are you alright?" she asked in a concerned tone. Her mind wracked through all of the potential injuries: concussion (being number one), broken nose, bruised rib, and Goddess only knows what else.

"…Ouch," Link finally answered in a muffled tone.

Zelda let out a small laugh of relief.

"Oh, Link. I'm so sorry," she said.

"Don't worry, Little Bird; I'm alright. Just got the breath knocked out of me," Link replied, a little clearer.

"You gave me quite a fright, Swordsman," Zelda lightly teased back.

"Yeah, well it was worth it to have someone brush my hair for me. It's been days since I've done it myself," Link said through a crooked smile.

Zelda laughed, blushing slightly, wondering how his comment should be taken.

"You didn't have to bruise your spleen for me to brush your hair, you know."

"Apparently I did," Link teased back. "Sorry about your shirt."

"Oh don't worry about it. I didn't even like this one anyway,"

"In all honesty, I think the smeared blood makes it look way cooler," Link jokingly stated.

"You're treading dangerous water for a boy who just got his breath back. You really want to lose it again that quickly?" Zelda said through a childish smirk.

"Zelda, my friend, you never cease to take my breath away with your crazy stunts."

Zelda continued smiling and slightly bowed in gratitude.

"Annnnd I thank you," she responded proudly.

Eagus finally re-entered the room, still looking panicked about the previous few minutes.

"Link! Buddy, are you alright?" he asked, worried.

Link continued lying in Zelda's lap, not wanting to get up for a number of reasons.

"Yes sir, I'm fine. Thanks to Zelda. She stopped my nose bleed so I'd say I'm back to normal."

"I wouldn't quite say 'normal' Link," Eagus replied. "You took quite a beating."

"Yeah…" Zelda chimed in, sounding suspicious.

Link glanced at her questioningly but she averted his gaze and continued thinking.

"Well, we can all thank her for tending to you long enough for me to handle Groose. The Headmaster has him now. I don't know what got into that boy. I know he's competitive, but I never thought he'd deliberately fight you like that, especially without your gear on," Eagus continued.

"I bet I could name a few reasons," Link muttered, looking at Zelda again.

"Have you tried sitting up?" Eagus asked him.

Without answering, Link began to sit up. He felt an aching pain coarse through his side, but he ignored it until he could support himself. Zelda placed her hand on his back to stabilize him, which he became thankful for.

"Well, that was harmless," he said, despite his spinning head.

"I think you should go back to your room, Link. And clean that blood off of your face. Boy, the people in town are gonna freak out upon seeing you," Eagus said, shaking his head.

"Zelda," he continued seriously, "I need you to watch him. Make sure he doesn't under any circumstances go to sleep. We need to watch him to make sure he doesn't have a concussion. Although I doubt he does, Groose is a big boy with a big temper. I don't want to take any chances."

"Yes sir, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him," she responded quickly.

"Perfect. I'll help you stand him up. See how he can walk."

Link remained silent throughout the conversation, focusing on not clutching his abdomen. Eagus and Zelda began to stand up, holding Link under the arms. He stood up surprisingly easily. He stumbled on the first few steps, but then appeared to be walking fairly stable.

"Think you can take it from here?" Eagus asked Zelda once they reached the door.

"I think I can handle him, don't worry. Thank you Eagus," Zelda replied.

Eagus nodded and apologized to Link. He thanked him, and then began his painful journey back to his room.

Link wrapped his arm around Zelda, using her for balance as each step was a shot of pain through his torso. Zelda seemed to wince with him upon watching him move. Link never once complained about pain, so she knew the seriousness of it when he continued leaning on her.

"Typically when a boy has his arm around a girl, it's enjoyable," Link thought with a hint of amusement to himself. "But this is nothing of the sort."
When they finally arrived to Link's room, Zelda helped him over to his bed and forced him to not lie down.

"I'll go get a wash cloth and help you get that blood off of your face. You look like you ate a raw Remlit," she joked.

"That's disgusting," Link replied.

"But it worked. You were momentarily thinking about the morbidness of my comment as opposed to thinking about the pain coursing through your veins."
"Gee, thanks," Link deadpanned.

Zelda smiled and walked out of the room quickly. Link watched her as she went, thankful the Goddess graced him with such an amazing friend.

Zelda returned with a damp hand towel. She sat on her knees on Link's bed, inches from his face. Link knew she was merely observing his nose, but he only stared at her giant eyes in front of him. It was rare that Zelda was ever this close to his face. He took advantage of her closeness to actually study her. He looked at her soft pale skin and her ski-slope nose. He'd never really noticed her facial features: her high cheek bones, soft pink lips that were shaped perfectly, her slim face that shadowed her neck, or her long dark eyelashes that cascaded over her eyes. But her eyes were the most captivating things of all. Link had noticed them and admired them many a time. But with her only inches away from his face, it made it easier to see just how intricately perfect they were. Her bright blue irises were outlined with a much darker blue, and any light was reflected right off of them. They were big and bright, giving the illusion that they too, emit light of their own. Zelda finally looked down at him, questioningly, just now noticing his gaze.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

Link scrambled for a response other than the truth.

"Is it bad?" he replied, hoping he sounded normal.

"No no, it's not too bad," Zelda said, apparently believing his intent. She had already started lightly cleaning the blood off, careful to avoid hurting him. The two sat in silence, save for Link's occasional winces and her whispered apologies.

Link felt Zelda's light breath on his forehead, smiling slightly upon glancing up at her to see her mouth was barely open. Zelda glanced back down at him.

"What?" she asked, her smile growing slightly.

"You're working so intently," he replied.

"Yeah. One slip up and you're gonna be in major pain. So don't tempt me."

Link continued sitting still until Zelda announced he could move. She sat back, admiring her work.

"There. Good as new!"

Link only smiled at her in response. The two stayed like that, smiling at each other for a while until Zelda's smile slowly faded.

"What?" Link asked her.

"Why'd you do it?" she asked quietly, her voice betraying her concern and confusion over his actions.

Link looked down sheepishly.

"Do what?" he asked innocently, although he already knew what she meant.

"I've seen you take on Groose enough times to know that he's no match for you. You could've easily beaten him up if you'd wanted to. Why did you let him hit you like that?" she asked sternly, eye level with Link again.

Link paused for a while before answering, trying to think of an explanation that would satisfy her. But he came up with nothing. So he told her the truth.

"Because, Zel. I wasn't going to stoop to his level and fight him back like that. It wasn't worth losing my integrity over. Besides, it would have only made him angrier at me if I had fought back, especially in front of you," he said, gesturing towards her.

"What do I have to do with anything?" Zelda asked confusedly.

"Come on, don't be stupid. You know he has a thing for you. A weird thing." He pointed out, shuddering a bit as he remembered all of the creepy moments Groose fawned over her.

"Groose is just a typical boy, infatuated with the female gender. He looks at Karane and Orielle the same way." She waved her hand dismissively.

"Maybe so, but he REALLY likes looking at you more, and, frankly, it's repulsive."

Zelda felt her heart rate increase slightly at how protective Link was being. It was unlike him to act so attached in this manner. But she concealed her emotions and continued to speak.

"Well that doesn't give him the right to physically harm you. Nor does it mean that you have to sit by and let him. You actually fought back for a while before he took his gear off."

"Yeah, but that was when he put you in danger," Link admitted, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit.

He thought about how he would later regret being so openly defensive of Zelda. But he decided not to care at the moment. Zelda paused at his comment, taken aback by his willingness to protect her so forwardly. Sure, he'd been there for her plenty of times and defended her dignity when she'd been stupid, or he had put his arm around her in a protective manner when she was afraid. But never had he been so defensive.

"Well, I moved. So it was okay," was her only response.

"Good thing you did. He could've hurt you."

"But he didn't. He just slammed his knee into your stomach."

"Thanks for reminding me."

After pondering Link's words for a moment, Zelda looked up at him wearing a more serious expression, rather than the one she got when she ranted.

"Thank you," she told him softly, a look of genuine gratitude gracing her pretty features.

"What are friends for?" Link asked, smiling.

Zelda silently got up from Link's bed and walked over to his desk to admire his wood carvings.

"Hey," she spoke up after a while. "Are you hungry or anything?"

"Maybe a little," Link said. Just then his stomach rumbled, confirming his want for food.

"Want me to go get you something to eat? I can ask Henya to make you your favorite stew. You've had a rough day," Zelda replied through a sympathetic smile.

"You'd do that?" Link asked her, slightly surprised at her compassion.

"Of course, silly! I'll be right back!" she chirped, walking towards the door.

"Zelda… wait."

Zelda turned around suddenly at the urgency in his voice and walked over to him, worried something was hurting him.

"What is it? Are you okay?"

Before she could push him back down, Link stood up and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear.

Zelda froze at the sudden contact with him, but warmly returned his hug after a few seconds.

"No need to thank me, it's just some soup," she said quietly.

"No," Link responded, laughing slightly. "For everything. For helping me and getting the blood off of my face and calming me down earlier until I got my breath back. You're the best, Little Bird."

Zelda leaned back and tilted her head up slightly so that she could make eye contact with him.

"Consider it an honor, young Swordsman."

Link opened the door to his room, smiling as he remembered Zelda comforting him so much. But the thought made him long for her to be there with him now.
Link took off his sword and shield and placed them beside his bed. All in one motion, he jumped up and sprawled out on top of his bed. He knew Zelda would want to kill him for getting in clean sheets when he was so dirty, but he didn't care. Immediately, upon impact with his bed, Link felt the fatigue take over his body, and almost instantly he was deep in sleep.

Throughout his near unconsciousness, Link dreamed strange, horrific dreams. He saw Zelda, over and over, being captured, tortured or killed. He kept watching her fall to her death over and over again. He saw her stabbed to death by bokoblins, devoured by Deku Plants, ripped apart by a swarm of ravenous spiders, drowning in a pool of her own blood, suffocating under the pressure of an unseen hand. The dreams got worse and worse. He saw the beast that haunted his sleep before and Ghirahim mocking him and his mother.

But the worst dream of all was none of these. The worst one consisted of Ghirahim finding Zelda; of him torturing her in the most brutal, twisted, sickening ways possible. Link watched in terror as the demon lord continued to assault her, viciously attacking her with all of his sadistic fury. After what seemed like an eternity of torment, for both Zelda and Link, Ghirahim decided to end his game and summoned his deadly powers, raising his hands right at her. As he waved his hands erratically, they began to burn with the same vile magic he had shown when he fought Link. Link screamed and attempted to throw himself in front of her, but it was no use. He was bound by glowing shackles, made out of the same evil magic.

Ghirahim laughed as Link's shrieks continued, but none were louder than Zelda's. Her screams rang through his mind as he watched the traumatizing sight of Ghirahim sending the same type of black smoke that was emitted from the monster towards her. Zelda too was bound in shackles, unable to protect herself. Zelda continued to scream and cry in agony, never stopping her pulling on the shackles. The shackles cut against her wrists, tearing her flesh. Her eyes were red and dry from her endless stream of tears. Her body was mangled; there wasn't an inch of skin on her body that wasn't covered in scars, cuts, burns, holes, or some other severe trauma. To say she had been through hell would be an understatement.

Ghirahim cackled gleefully, skipping over to Link and drawing his sword, pressing it against his neck.

"Hush, imbecile," he silenced him with a childish whisper. The villainous smile he wore continued to taint his face even as he continued speaking. "I could have done far worse. Would you rather your little friend be defiled whilst her soul is ripped away from her body?"

Link's anger became uncontainable in that moment. His head began to hurt and burn as he continued to struggle, swearing and threatening Ghirahim all the while. His voice grew hoarse as he screamed profanities, cursing the demon lord's name. Ghirahim only continued to laugh until finally Zelda seemed to lose her will. Her screams began to die down, her struggling weakened, and her limbs went limp. She let out one last cry before falling to the ground, still shackled.

Link felt his heart stop at the sight of her, motionless, bloodied, and looking so lifeless. Link felt hot tears spill over his cheeks while Ghirahim laughed ecstatically beside him. But Zelda's long, raspy cries continued to ring throughout the blackness around him.

"Link…Link help! Link…Link!"

"LINK!"

Link's eyes shot open to see Pipit standing above him, saying his name.

"Hey buddy, you're dreaming," Pipit yelled at him.

Link felt the sweat on his head and realized that it was a dream; no, a nightmare. He swallowed hard and tried to console himself. He focused on speaking to Pipit first.

"Hey, Pipit. How long have I been out?" he asked in the most even tone he could muster up.

"About 15 hours. I saw you come in here yesterday evening. I called for you, but you didn't seem to hear me. I figured I'd check on you; you're bound to be hungry or something," Pipit explained.

"Well, I'm honestly just thirsty right now. I'll get up and get some water. Thanks for waking me up," Link replied gratefully.

"Yeah, no problem," Pipit answered. However, he gave Link a concerned look. "Are you alright, Link? No one has seen you for a few days, and you look beat."

Link smiled crookedly at his friend. Pipit was never an emotional person, but it touched Link that he was genuinely concerned for him.

"I'm alright Pipit. Just haven't slept the past few days."

"You're not taking to Zelda's disappearance too well, are you?"

"I guess you could say that," Link answered.

"Chin up, Link. She will return. I'm sure of it." Pipit tried to sound confident, though he ended up sounding more nervous than anything.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Pipit."

"Well, I know the Goddess has her eye on Zelda. Don't worry."

Link wished he could believe Pipit's words. He tried to believe them, himself. But with the way things had gone, it seemed impossible.

"I hope you're right. Thank you," was all he said in response.

Pipit smiled, placed a hand on Link's shoulder, and then quickly exited the room. Link thought he saw the faint hint of a tear in his eye.

Link decided it was time to get up and get a move on. He hadn't slept at all during his journey to the surface. He wondered if Zelda had either. But at least he got to return to his own bed and sleep off his fatigue.

Alright, let's see. Zelda was taken four days ago. Day one, I was thrown off and slept until early morning of day two. I was in the temple from day two until day three: yesterday. I fought Ghirahim. Zelda vanished. I came back here. I slept. Four days, and no sign of Zelda.

Link summarized the past few days in his mind, trying to get a grip on himself and how much time had really passed. It felt like an eternity. And he could only imagine what it felt like for Zelda. His mind wandered to what she was doing and where she was headed now. He wondered if she was safe. He knew she was alone, and unprotected. And with the thought of Ghirahim after her…

Link immediately stood up. He ran up the stairs to the bathroom. He splashed water in his face, and proceeded back downstairs into the kitchen.
Henya stood motionless in the doorway, as if she were waiting for him. She stood with her arms folded in front of her, and a small, sympathetic smile was worn on her face. She held a brown leather bag tied up with one string. Link approached her with a questioning gaze, wondering what she could have.

"Oh, my precious child," she said in a soothing voice.

"Hi, Mrs. Henya," Link replied approaching her.

"I know you are in a hurry to find her. Here. Take this with you," she said, holding the bag up to him. Link took a hold of it to find it was fairly heavy for such a small bag. He opened it up to find it was stuffed to the brim with bread and dried fruit, along with a small, sealed cup of his favorite soup.
Link looked at her, fairly shocked by her generosity. Henya stared back at him with tears close to spilling out of her eyes. Henya put a hand on the side of his face, having to reach up as far as she could to touch him. Link bent over slightly so he was more eye-level with her.

"Thank you," he whispered.

The fragile woman pulled him into a tight hug. She smelled of the academy and freshly baked bread. Link smiled, realizing just how much he'd always appreciated Mrs. Henya, and just how much he was going to miss the elderly woman.

Henya backed away from him, gripping his shoulders tight.

"Now you go find that girl. And you bring her back here, safe. Don't you go getting injured or dying on anybody, you understand?" she said in a strong voice.

"Yes ma'am," Link said through a raspy one, trying to hold back his tears.

"You take care of yourself out there, boy. Alright?"

"I will. I promise."

"Don't hesitate to come see me, Link. I've been cleaning up after you since you were toddling around in here. Don't think there's anything I can't handle from you," Henya replied in a motherly tone, handing him a bottle of water.

Link smiled back at her and took a drink out of the bottle. Feeling replenished, he smiled and hung the bottle on his adventure pouch.

"I'll remember that," he responded, and quickly exited the academy, rubbing the tears from his eyes as he walked out of the familiar door.


A/N: Yikes. Poor Link hasn't had very good luck, or sleep. But, that's the way things go with the human brain. Link cheerfully remembers Zelda helping him when he's limp and bloody, and he dreams of not being able to help her when she's limp and bloody (course it was on a bit of a crueler scale but you didn't expect it to be nice, did you?) Anyway, thanks again to The Supreme. And be sure to check out his amazing story Moving On. I love it so far and he's only posted the first chapter! But I digress. I know it's been a while since I updated, and even longer since I updated And All the While I Lay Sleeping, but do not give up on me because I WILL finish these stories. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think! (Actually I beg of you too so feel compelled...) See you soon!

-Zepora